On Sunday, it was announced that President Biden will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, this week to discuss US’s monetary support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that Biden was going to host the Ukrainian President as a mark of the “United States’ unshakable commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine” against Russian invasion. She added that the leaders will discuss Ukraine’s urgent needs and how the United States could keep extending support for them in the war against Russia. This news comes amidst Republicans’ reluctance to pass additional funding for Ukraine after U.S. officials issued a warning that the country would run out of money by the end of the year if they continued sending war aid to Ukraine.
Image Source: CNN
Biden faces opposition from Republicans on War Aid
It has been reported that Congress has passed over billions of dollars for military and economic funding for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022. However, the question of securing additional money for this cause has become difficult as Republicans have started questioning the scale of this funding and how it is being used. This question is also coming up due to the fact that this huge scale funding has not produced the results that U.S. and Ukrainian officials had hoped for.
The Cost of this War Aid
The issue of this Ukraine funding is also being affected due to the $110 billion national security supplemental that the White House requested. The supplemental included about 61 billion dollars for Ukraine, along with details about funding for Israel, humanitarian aid for Gaza, and money for the U.S.- Mexico border.
The Senate Republicans did not vote in favour of this national security bill due to this staggering amount and also because it did not include changes to border policy. After this, Biden ended up making an urgent plea to lawmakers last week to pass the measure. He issued a warning that failing to do so would give Russian President Vladimir Putin an upper hand and embolden him to invade other European countries beyond Ukraine. To support his cause, Biden went to say that. “Republicans in Congress are willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for and abandon our global leadership, not just in Ukraine but beyond that.”
Image Source: The New York Times
Challenge for Zelensky
But the chief hurdle for Zelesnky in obtaining more Ukraine funding is that he has not yet been invited to speak with House Republicans to voice his concerns before them. The news of Zelensky’s trip to Washington received serious criticism from several Republicans in Congress, including Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio. He went on to post on social media and wrote that in the middle of “a historic border crisis,” Zelensky is coming to Washington and demanding to Congress that they should care more about his conflicts rather than our own.
At the start of the Russian-Ukraine War, there was widespread support for helping Ukraine defend itself, due to the fact that Biden stated not to put U.S. troops on the Ukrainian ground. However, over time, the question of securing the funding became increasingly politicised as more members of the GOP began to oppose sending billions of dollars overseas. It has even been announced that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet with Republican lawmakers in Washington and discuss how to put an end to U.S. military funding for Ukraine.
This will be Zelensky’s third visit to Washington since the war in Ukraine began. He last came there in September. His visit comes at a critical moment, as negotiations for emergency aid to Ukraine seem to be in a tough spot with the reluctance of Republicans and other global leaders. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that with Zelensky’s arrival, the leaders will discuss “Ukraine’s urgent needs” and the importance of the United States’ continued support in this critical matter.
